“I” is сэ in both dialects; yes is нтIэ in Kabardian and ары in Adyghe; “What is your name?” is Хэт уэ уи цIэр? and УицIэр сыд?
This is the second unit of the Circassian app’s course, “About Me”, made of two short lessons, “Pronouns & Identity” and “Language & Place”. As in Lesson 1, Kabardian is on the left and Adyghe on the right; many words are the same in both, and the ones that differ are worth noticing.
The words of Lesson 2
Left column: Kabardian (East Circassian), right: Adyghe (West Circassian). Tap a speaker to hear the app’s audio; the Latin line is the app’s own spelling.
Pronouns & Identity
| In English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| I | сэse | сэse |
| you | уэwe | оo |
| yes | нтIэnt'e | арыarə |
| Circassian | адыгэadyghe | адыгэadəghe |
| I am Circassian | СыадыгэщSyadygheshch | Сэ сыадыгSe syadəg |
| name | цIэts'e | цIэts'e |
Language & Place
| In English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| no | хьэуэh'ewe | хьауhaw |
| language | бзэbze | бзэbze |
| Do you speak Circassian? | Адыгэбзэ пщIэра?Adyghebze pshchera? | АдыгабзэкIэ угущаIа?Adəgabzek'e wgushcha'a? |
| friend | ныбжьэгъуnybzh'eghw | ныбджэгъуnəbjeghu |
| where | дэнэdene | тыдэtyde |
| What is your name? | Хэт уэ уи цIэр?Khet we wi ts'er? | УицIэр сыд?Uits'er syd? |
Sentences from the audio course
Whole sentences with these words, from the app’s audio course, whose scripts a native speaker of each dialect reviewed.
What’s your name?
My name is Madina.
Pleased to meet you.
Are you Circassian?
Yes, I’m Circassian. And you?
Where are you from?
I’m from Turkey.
Do you speak Circassian?
I speak a little.
He is my friend.
Good to know
The Circassians’ own name. адыгэ is the name the Circassians use for themselves: the Kabardian–Russian dictionary gives it as the self-name of the Adyghe, Kabardians and Cherkess (p. 21).
The language’s name. The dictionary gives Адыгэбзэ as “the language of the Adyghe (Adygeans, Kabardians, Cherkess)” (p. 21); бзэ alone is “language” (p. 45).
Short words, second meanings. In the Kabardian dictionary сэ is also “knife” (p. 398); in the Adyghe dictionary о is also “weather”. The lessons and the audio course use them as “I” and “you”.
Test yourself
Five questions on this lesson’s words, the way the app asks them. Switch between Kabardian and Adyghe at the top.
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In the app, questions like these are in every lesson, and the words you get wrong come back for review sooner.
What comes next
In the app this unit ends with a review of every word so far, and the course goes on with family, numbers and colors. On this site the series continues with Lesson 3. All lessons, by dialect: Kabardian lessons and Adyghe lessons.
Questions
How do you say “What is your name?” in Circassian?
Хэт уэ уи цIэр? in Kabardian and УицIэр сыд? in Adyghe.
How do you say yes and no in Circassian?
Yes is нтIэ and no is хьэуэ in Kabardian; in Adyghe, ары and хьау.
What is the Circassian word for Circassian?
адыгэ in both dialects: the Circassians’ name for themselves.
Is this lesson free?
Yes. This page is free, and so is the whole course in the Circassian app: 119 lessons in each dialect, and no account is needed for the lessons.
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Sources
- Lessons: the Circassian app, units “About Me” (app version 5.9.0, October 2026).
- Audio course lines (sentences and words marked “course”): the app’s audio course, as in the phrasebook.
- Kabardian dictionary in the app (Apazhev and Kokov, Kabardino-Cherkess–Russian Dictionary, Nalchik 2008): нтIэ (p. 340), адыгэ (p. 21), хьэуэ (p. 544), бзэ (p. 45), ныбжьэгъу (p. 340), дэнэ (p. 86).
- Adyghe dictionary in the app (dovlet.info): сэ, ары, цIэ, хьау, бзэ, ныбджэгъу.
- Course facts (10 sections, 119 lessons per dialect, alphabet lessons, hearts, spaced review, audio course): the app’s own data, version 5.9.0, checked October 11, 2026.
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Short lessons in Kabardian or Adyghe. Hear how the words sound, learn to read the alphabet, then practice with an AI tutor who replies in Circassian.
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